Warning: My neighbor's "helpful" tip about porch paint was actually terrible advice

I painted my front porch last spring and this older guy on my street kept telling me I needed to use latex paint because "it flexes with the wood." So I switched from oil based to latex at the last minute. By December the whole thing was peeling up in big sheets. Turns out latex doesn't stick well to pressure treated wood if it hasn't dried out for months. Wish I'd stuck with what I knew worked. Anyone else get bad advice from a well meaning neighbor?

2 comments

2 Comments

aaron1974d ago

Yeah the "it flexes with the wood" thing sounds good in theory but it falls apart fast. I had the same issue on my deck a few years back. What finally worked for me was sticking with oil based primer first even on the pressure treated stuff. Let the wood dry out a full summer then hit it with a solid oil based paint. Hasn't peeled in three years now. That neighbor probably meant well but sometimes people pass along what they heard without actually trying it themselves.

leo6034d ago

Oh man, tell me about it. The "flexes with the wood" thing is like the internet's favorite fairy tale for deck paint. I fell for it too once, painted a whole fence with that expensive elastomeric stuff and it looked like a reptile skin after one winter. You're spot on about the oil based primer though, that stuff is like glue for paint. People hear "breathable" and "flexible" and think it'll solve everything, but they forget wood moves like crazy and cheap latex just can't hack it. Plus, leaving the wood to dry out for a full season is a pain but it's the only way to not be repainting every year. Your neighbor probably got that advice from a guy who got it from another guy who never even owned a brush. Good to know the oil based paint held up on your deck, might have to try that on my own next time I'm feeling brave enough to start that project.